Thanks for the comments. I think there may be a difference between Architectural Photography and Photography for Real Estate. It's my understanding that RE photography is more about showing the layout of the home and the flow of the space with the purpose to get potential buyers to want to come to the home and see it in person and possibly buy it.

I think you are probably correct. I don't do commercial work, but have volunteered to photograph interiors for a ranch with guest cabins. They want the guests to be able to see what the cabins look like inside. Nonetheless, I often opt for shooting straight on in some rooms, where the side distortion becomes rather pronounced. But shooting at an angle certainly gives a more interesting view of many rooms.

It's funny you mention the magazine Architectural Digest because if you look through the images almost every shot that includes a window, the highlights are usually blown-out. I would consider many of those shots a "fail" if I let the windows look like that.

Oh, I've noticed that! Very curious indeed!

It also reminded me that years ago when many architectural photographers used a view camera, the side movements helped a lot with the perspective problems we've been discussing.

Your lighting solution is very effective. I'm going to look into that.